This invention relates to a method of automatically spreading laundered soft rectangular clothes such as face towels and bath towels and an apparatus therefor.
In laundries, relatively small-sized rectangular cloths, such as face towels and bath towels, are washed, dewatered, dried, optionally ironed and then folded. Since the dried cloths discharged from the drying step are crumpled, it is the general practice that operators pick up the dried cloth one by one, spread the picked cloth and then place the spread cloth in position on a conveyor to feed the cloth to a next station such as an ironing machine or a folding machine. Such manual operations are troublesome and require a lot of operators in order to treat a large number of cloths within a limited period of time.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of spreading laundered rectangular soft cloths.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of the above-mentioned type which can spread a large number of laundered cloths within a short period of time.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for automatically carrying out the above method.
In accomplishing the foregoing objects, there is provided in accordance with one aspect of the present invention a method for spreading a laundered generally rectangular cloth having four corner portions (A-D), opposing longer edges (AB and CD) and opposing shorter edges (BC and DA), comprising the steps of:
(a) picking up a portion (F1) of the cloth and elevating the picked portion so that the cloth is suspended from the picked portion with one corner portion (A) being the lowermost end of the cloth;
(b) trailing the cloth on a support to position the corner portion (A), being the trailing end of the cloth, at a predetermined location on said support;
(c) gripping the corner portion (A) at said predetermined
(d) supporting the cloth horizontally at least at the gripped corner portion (A) and a portion (F2) spaced apart from the corner portion (A);
(e) regripping the cloth at two, horizontally spaced apart, first and second positions (G1 and G2) thereof, said first position (G1) being adjacent to the corner portion (A) and said second position (G2) being nearer to the portion (F2) than to said first position (G1) so that the corner portion (D) is suspended therefrom;
(f) displacing the gripped first and second positions (G1 and G2) relative to a conveyor running in one direction from an upstream end to a downstream end while maintaining the line extending through the gripped first and second portions (G1 and G2) generally in normal to the running direction of the conveyor, so that the corner portion (D) and the other portion of the cloth are successively received on the conveyor and moved thereon toward the downstream end with a length of the edge CD eing positioned in the downstream end of the conveyor;
(g) grasping the edge CD of the cloth at two, spaced part, first and second positions (H1 and H2) thereof located within the range of said length;
(h) displacing the grasped first and second positions (H1 and H2) toward a horizontal support bar extending in a direction parallel to the displacing direction of the grasped first and second positions (H1 and H2) to hang the cloth thereon with the short edges (DA and BC) being straightened; and
(i) holding one of the straightened short edges (DA and BC) and suspending the cloth from said held edge in a spread state. In another aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for spreading a laundered rectangular cloth placed in a predetermined position and having four corner portions (A-D), opposing longer edges (AB and CD) and opposing shorter edges (BC and DA), comprising:
an elevating device adapted for picking up a portion (F1) of the cloth placed at the predetermined position and elevating the picked portion at a predetermined height so that the cloth is suspended from the picked portion with one corner portion (A) being the lowermost end of the cloth;
a support having an upper surface adapted to support at least a part of the cloth thereon;
a positioning device for receiving the suspended cloth and trailing the cloth on a support to position the corner portion (A), being the trailing end of the cloth, at a predetermined location on said support;
an end gripper for gripping the corner portion (A) of the cloth positioned in said predetermined height;
supporting means for horizontally supporting the cloth at least at the corner portion (A) and a portion (F2) spaced apart from the corner portion (A);
a pair of grippers for gripping the cloth at two, horizontally spaced apart, first and second positions (G1 and G2) thereof, said first position (G1) being adjacent to the corner portion (A) and said second position (G2) being nearer to the portion (F2) than to the first position (G1) so that the corner portion (D) is suspended therefrom;
a conveyor running in one direction from an upstream end to a downstream end;
a displacing mechanism for displacing said grippers such that the gripped first and second positions (G1 and G2) are displaced relative to said conveyor while maintaining the line extending through the gripped first and second portions (G1 and G2) generally in normal to the running direction of said conveyor, so that the corner portion (D) and the other portion of the cloth are successively received on the conveyor and moved thereon toward the downstream end with a length of the edge CD being positioned in the downstream end of the conveyor;
a horizontal support bar;
a positioning mechanism having a pair of holders for holding the edge CD of the cloth at two, spaced apart, first and second positions (H1 and H2) thereof located within the range of said length and having displacing means for displacing said holders in a direction parallel to said horizontal support bar in position for hanging the cloth thereon with the short edges (DA and BC) being straightened; and
a fixing device for holding one of the straightened short edges (DA and BC) and suspending the cloth from the held edge in a spread state.